In Mommy's Eyes
by Kisses on the Bottom
Summary: No mother is ever excited to see her daughter go away to college for months at a time. Ken/Amy.


**Another oneshot is here! This is my first time writing any Ken/Amy fics (as I always write Kai/Amy ones), so that would explain if this is a pretty bad oneshot. **

**New chapter of "Feel the Beat" is next! Preview: Mal goes to the music store to get his cello, but what he sees does not exactly match his badass personality.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

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><p>"And <em>don't<em> sleep with anyone you don't know," Amy Greene added to her never-ending list of do's and don't's for her daughter, Melanie, to remember on the way to New Jersey. "Call me every night to let me know you're safe."

Melanie sighed and rolled her eyes. "_Mom_, we've been over this at least fifty times. I'll be fine, alright?"

Her father, Ken, gave her a pat on the back. "Ames, she'll be top-notch as always. Don't worry about her too much."

Melanie gave her dad a smile of relief. "He's right. Winter break will be here before you know it, and I'll be right back in San Francisco with all of you guys," she nodded and faced her younger sister, Petra Grace, and went on, "and we'll have fun just like always. I'll take Petra to the mall just like I always used to do."

Amy sighed and scanned Melanie from head to toe. She was a thin girl, no more than 5'3", with long brown hair and large, light brown eyes. Her skin was a dark medium color that greatly complemented her autumn-orange blouse which matched the start of the season. Petra Grace looked the same; in Amy's eyes, they were both young and vulnerable. "Mel, keep your guard on," she swallowed hard, "and always let me know where you are; just send me a text or drop me a ring, or..."

_"Mo-om,"_ Petra Grace impatiently cut in, "Melanie's going to be okay. She's just going to college. It's not like she's moving halfway across the world."

Ken let out a lighthearted laugh. "The girl's got a point, Ames. Enjoy your last minutes with your daughter without worrying."

Amy thought about this and looked around the airport, where busy people went about their daily lives as if they didn't have a care in the world. She, however, felt the opposite. Melanie was moving across the country into the dormitories at Princeton University and would stay there for a few months-without her mother. The mere thought made Amy feel extremely uneasy. What would happen to Melanie between now and winter break? She had never really left home before.

But she seemed excited about it now.

_"Now boarding,"_ a voice called over the intercom, _"one-way to Princeton, New Jersey. Flight leaves in fifteen minutes."_

Melanie let out a large grin. "That's my flight, guys! Come with me to the gate."

Petra Grace quickly darted after her sister, with Ken following behind them. Amy stood put for a moment, and hesitantly walked in their direction. _Maybe if I walk really slowly, _she thought, _the flight will leave without Mel and she can stay with us._

But that wish wasn't even close to being fulfilled, as Melanie approached the gate excitedly with Petra behind her.

"Damn, girl," Ken huffed, "you run fast. You gonna keep doing track at Princeton?"

Melanie made a face. "Nah. My cross-country days are over." She glanced at Petra Grace. "Maybe you can take over for me in a few years when you get into high school."

Petra nodded enthusiastically. "I can do it! I've got long legs like yours."

Amy sighed and slowly approached her family. The woman at the gate wore a fake smile to every passenger who stepped into the doors to board the plane.

"Well," Melanie shrugged. "I've got ten minutes 'til the plane leaves. Want to do something special until time's up? We can wait out here, since y'all are not allowed past the gate."

Amy cleared her throat loudly. _"Y'all?"_ she frowned. "Mel, you're going to New Jersey. Do you know how many people will make fun of you for saying that word?"

Melanie shrugged. "Might as well make the most of it while I can."

Petra cut in to avoid a disagreement between her mother and sister. "Hey, Mel, let's play Temple Run at the same time. The person with the highest score gets the last piece of gum from my purse."

Melanie grinned and pulled out her iPhone as her sister loaded the game on her iPod touch. "You're _on_, Petra. I'm totally going to win this."

Amy nervously chewed her lip as she looked down at her daughters. They were so carefree, unlike her. Ken draped his arm around Amy's shoulders.

"It's fine, Ames. Really. Look how excited Mel is; please don't ruin it for her with your expressions."

He had a point. Amy nodded and looked in the distance to see two familiar people that worked with her and Ken who were saying their goodbyes to their son at another gate. The plane there went to Pennsylvania.

"Joshua," his mother leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Don't mess college up. Do your best."

"Mom," the teenage boy groaned. "It's _Josh_. And I'll do fine."

Amy gulped as she watched her co-worker's motherly actions towards her son. Was this really how she had been acting around Melanie?

Josh's father looked down at him and stared deep with his icy-blue eyes. "Get good grades, boy—education is golden. Well...so is kicking ass, but education is more important at the moment. You can kick ass later on."

_"Mal!"_ the man's wife growled, and then turned back to Joshua. "Well, your plane leaves in a few minutes. Care to give Mommy a kiss?"

Josh's cheeks turned red as he did so.

"Jeez, Natara," Mal joked and wore a fake frown, "way to make the poor boy even more stressed out than he already is."

"Um…" Josh butted in, nervously jerking his thumb towards the gate. "I think I should be heading off now."

Natara gave her son a tight hug, and Mal lightly draped his arms around the two of them, smiling softly.

Amy then turned around to face her family, and witnessed Melanie throwing her hands up into the air with joy. "Yes! I won, Petra! The gum is _mine_."

Petra Grace frowned and pulled out a stick of Juicy Fruit, handing it to her sister. Mel smiled and quickly placed the sweet chewing gum on her tongue. She then glanced at the time showing on her iPhone and frowned. "I should go now."

Ken leaned over and gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek, as well as a hug. "Don't flunk out, okay? You've come pretty far already."

Melanie nodded as Petra Grace threw herself into her arms. "See ya at Christmas," she whispered to her younger sister, "and keep practicing Temple Run. Who knows? You might beat me someday."

"Will do," Petra heeded her sister's command and pulled out her iPod to begin practicing already.

Amy swallowed hard and gave Melanie one last look. She then kissed her, hugged her, and proceeded to whisper: "Make Mommy proud."

"I will," Melanie whispered back. "Don't worry, I will."

Amy stepped away and watched as her daughter, once an infant, stepped through the gate and onto the plane. She could see Melanie's hand waving through the windows of the plane, signaling to her family that she would be fine.

Amy knew she would be.

In her mommy's eyes, she was vulnerable, of course—but she also had two things that many rising college freshmen didn't have.

Spunk—a trait that Ken always claimed he'd given to her.

And then there was wisdom, which was Amy's trait, of course.

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><p><strong>Review for another KenAmy/family oneshot in the future? Maybe a sequel? Maybe Joshua and Melanie will meet. Maybe Petra Grace will beat her sister at Temple Run. Maybe…**

**Oh gosh, now I'm starting to plan out another fanfiction, and I have too many I need to continue.**

**Ok, I'mma ask one more time…**

**Review? Pretty pwweeeaaaseeee?**


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